It’s a bit of a cliché to say this, but I love to listen to music. You could safely assume that all musicians love to listen to music, but you might not know that it can be a really challenging thing to do. It’s a skill you can practice and improve upon. My ability to
Lessons In Your Home Blog
Calming Performance Nerves by Finding Your Balance
As private music teachers who work with beginners of all ages, we see it all the time: sweaty palms, racing hearts, and nervous energy before a performance. Whether it’s a school recital or their first time playing for family, many students feel anxious. But here’s the truth we always share—you can calm performance nerves naturally
Something Old, Something New, Something Fast, and Something Slow: Music Practice Tips That Work
As a team of active private music teachers, we’re always looking for ways to help our beginner students practice more effectively—and enjoy the process too. One of our favorite music practice structure tips is a simple routine we call: Something Old, Something New, Something Fast, Something Slow. This structure isn’t just catchy—it’s incredibly effective. By
Scaffolding… not just for buildings.
Once lessons get rolling and you’ve started to make progress you might notice that progress slows down. I see it happen all the time with my students and in my own practicing. The good news is… this is a common problem and the solution is scaffolding. Who hasn’t learned their first tune, a cool guitar
How Music Impacts the Brain: What Private Lesson Teachers Notice Every Day
We’ve seen it time and time again—students walk into their first music lesson nervous and unsure, and after just a few months, they’re more focused, confident, and even doing better in school. That’s because music doesn’t just teach you how to play an instrument—it changes your brain. As a team of private teachers who specialize
Practice Without Pressure: Building Habits That Stick
Many parents ask the same question at some point: how do I help my child practice without making music feel like one more thing to push through? It makes sense. Practice can be the part that feels hardest to settle into, especially early on, when a child is still learning how to practice music in
How Long Till I Can Play? Understanding Your Music Lesson Progress Timeline
If you’re starting music lessons for the first time, one of the biggest questions you probably have is: How long will it take before I can actually play something? As a group of private music teachers who specialize in working with beginner students, we hear this all the time. The truth is, your music lesson
Jay Maurice likes in-home music lessons.
When you are looking for a Music Lesson(s) of any kind, piano lessons, voice lessons, guitar lessons, or any music lesson you can think of you ought to consider in home music lessons. This video goes over Jay Maurice’s main likes on the subject of having a private teacher teach in your home. If you
Why Backwards Practice Works Best: A Strategy for Beginner Musicians
When it comes to learning an instrument, most students (and even some parents!) assume you should always practice from the beginning of a piece to the end. But as music teachers who work closely with beginner students, we can confidently say this: backwards practice works best. That’s right—starting at the end of a piece and
What “Doing Well” at a Recital Really Means: A Teacher’s Perspective
As a team of private music teachers who work primarily with beginner students, we get this question a lot: “What does it mean to do well at a recital?” And it’s a great question—especially because the answer might not be what you expect. For us, doing well at a recital isn’t about playing a flawless
